And lo, from on high it was spoken:
"Play the game you want to play, and enjoy it."
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*Sets light to poodle*
Outlined in the setting sun of dusk and lit by the torches they carry, a sudden storm of men sweep into the village! There must be nearly thirty of them, led by a fierce-looking warrior wearing do-maru, kote, and suneate.
Mamoru Spoiler: Just in time, Mamoru clambers onto the roof of a building and hunkers down. The thunder of hooves is now obvious, and the dust and noise of many riders approaches. He looks out to see the 'bandits' approaching at speed. The young shinobi estimates that there are at least 20 mounted spearmen bearing down on the village. They seem disciplined and focused.
Upon Yorinaga issuing them their orders the spearmen look confused, not certain who should be going where. When Kani barks his command, the indicated four gladly follow him.
Yorinaga is presented with the sight of 8 unarmoured men carrying spears and 1 excitable korobokuru with an axe.
Most of the villagers look at Yorinaga as if he is mad, and Gobo's mouth opens and closes when he tells all the women and children to go to his house! After the briefest of pauses, things dissolve into chaos again. Except for some of the men, who jog up to Yorinaga bearing their spears. "We are with you, lord. But we do not know how many we face!" says one. Mamoru dashes off to the east, ready to position himself.
After Gobo has made his announcement the panic of the villagers increases; a chorus of screams erupts from the older women, and several of the weaker-willed men fall to their knees sobbing. The outer fringes of the ground begin to run away. SOme take shelter in their homes, other prepare to leave the mura. Only a few men run for their spears, determined to fight. The women claw at and cling to them, pleading with them not to die foolishly. Kani dances about in the confusion, twirling his axe, as Shinko calmly addresses Gobo. Yorinagi's voice bellows over the voices of what remains of the crowd. There is a moment of silence as the villagers are stunned by his volume. The men with spears look to one another, and back at Yorinaga, impressed by his martial mien. Mamoru:
Spoiler:
Mamoru manages to make out from the wailing and gnashing of teeth that the riders will be coming in from the north, a large number of them. Shinko rather coolly tries to talk to Gobo but has trouble making himself heard over the shouts and cries of the villagers. From his vantage point Yorinaga notices one or two men return to their homes and come out again bearing spears.
Jiro, Shinko, Kani
Spoiler:
A man rushes up to your group and draws Gobo aside, whispering excitedly into the myusho's ear. He points excitedly across the fields as he does so.
A look of distress passes over Gobo's face. He leaves hastily, runs to the centre of the village and begins pounding the alarm block (a piece of wood that he hammers with a large mallet). Heads pop out of windows and doors slide open wide. Screaming and crying the villagers run out into the street, swirling in panic. Finally clustering at the base of the alarm mound. Many of their faces tear-streaked they shout and scream at the myoshu. Over their voices, Gob bellows "Family! Riders are coming! They are bandits!" Yorinaga, ooChai, Mamoru
Spoiler: You hear the pounding of a mallet on a block of mound and then the sound of villagers panicking outside. You hear Gobo bellow over their voices "Family! Riders are coming! They are bandits!"
Kani trots on, annoying Gobo.
Gobo looks with annoyance at Kani but says nothing. Kani, Shinko, Jiro
Spoiler:
@Yorinaga, ooChai, Mamoru Gobo nods with a slightly put-upon look, and says, "Very well, I shall bring them to you forthwith." He turns and with a sigh, leaves his house. @Shinko, Kani, and Jiro Kichirou looks bewildered by Kani's torrent of talk, but seems friendly enough. He sits and motions for you all to do so. He introduces his elderly mother (who ignores you all and carries on eating her rice), his wife, and his son. Some hesitant answers from them all, bar the old lady who persists in eating, indicate that they don't know very much about the supposed bandits. Gobo spoke to a couple of messengers who claimed to be from some temple or other that no-one had heard of. Gobo sent them packing, and they went away swearing vengeance. The headman thought they were probably just trouble-makers but sent a message to the estate manager anyway. As you are talking, there is a knock at the door, and none other than Gobo enters once Kichirou has opened up. The headman wears a look of consternation and says in a rather impatient tone, "The noblemen who entered the village just now wish to speak to you, about what I cannot imagine. Please, will you follow?"
@ooChai, Mamoru, Yorinaga Gobo looks at each of you with a mixture or suspicion and confusion; he obviously doesn't know quite what to make of your odd interaction. "We are farmers, sir, not warriors. We have grain to harvest and livestock to tend. We cannot afford the time to spend in preparations for a fight that we could not possibly win (were it to occur at all). But, I thank you for your concern and will think upon what you have said." He says, and then stands up and offers to take the task of collecting from Mamoru. The tidying up done, he looks to the doorway, where you can see a slight brightening outside. "Ah.. the Lady of the Sun has graced us once more" he says. @Kani, Jiro, Shinko Kichirou nods and motions for you to enter. An old lady, a young boy and a young woman share this hut with him. They all nod respectfully at each of you. With all of you in there is just about enough room to sit comfotably around the central hearth.
The short monk knocks on the door of Kichirou, who answers it and nods at each of the three travellers quickly, "Hello, brother," he says "May I help you at all today?"
Gobo thinks for a second and replies, "Well there's Toshiro and his brother and, oh yes those other two.. so that's... all together I think we have eight men who have experience as ashigaru." He looks confused, "If I may be so bold, sir; why do you ask? Surely you do not think we could be in danger enough to warrant that? I do no even know how much use they would be."
Several of the villagers look oddly at the young bushi as he walks round the village, muttering to himself. Spoiler: Mamoru notes that as well as the normal peasant houses, the town has several godown (storehouses) that are of sturdier construction . These have tiled roofs, unlike normal godown that have thatch roofs, again testament to the productivity of the village. These are very sturdy buildings; the walls of the storehouses are made of plaster with stone foundations; a bit of effort could knock a hole in a wall.
Gobo looks a bit taken aback to have so many questions fired at him, "As I said, sir, I reported it to the jito but he has done nothing so far. As to the identity of the Black Temple, I am as much in the dark as you. Again, as I was saying, I have never heard of it." he sips his tea and then continues, "As to how they were armed... they were armed with spears. They were riders, you understand. The harvest sir? Well, we have recently harvested, so our barns are well stocked."
Yorinaga, ooChai, and Mamoru You enter the myoshu's minka and he motions for you to sit. Although the largest house in the village, it is of the same construction as the others. A roof of rice straw thatch sits atop walls of wood lattice work. The main area of the floor is bare earth with an open hearth. Gobo indicates wooden platforms for you to sit at. Once you have done so, he prepares tea for you all. As he serves he tells the samurai's group the following with a mixture of concern and mild annoyance: "Well, several weeks ago, some couriers arrived in the mura claiming to be from "The Black Temple". Very unsavoury characters they were; they demanded a portion of the coming harvest as rent to this Black Temple, if you can credit such a thing! I had never heard of this place, and so I refused them." He sits himself and continues, "I already pay my rent to the proper shoen officials" "and I sent them packing. They left and threatened retribution. Initially I took them for blowhards but my concern grew. So I sent a message to the jito in Tosa nearby, but alas, nothing has been forthcoming from him. I understand that he must be a busy man with a whole estate to manage... but still..." He shifts and sips his tea with a world weary sigh, "I am sorry to bore you gentlemen, but you can see why the people here are cautious." Kani, Jiro and Shinko After escorting all the children home, you have covened again in the square. A few villagers are milling around here and there. This is not a big place, with only around 80 people living here. From 3 to 8 people will live in the same house, from children to old folk... often next door to a barn for the family's animals, which can lend a distinctive aroma to a dwelling.
Yorinaga and company Gobo looks weary, "Sir," he says, "We are not used to visitors with good intent, but we are indeed used to less friendly strangers. I shall tell you more inside. Please follow me." With that he walks towards his house and through the door. Kani You can't make out much that they are saying, as they are all talking quietly in that funny earnest way that some humans do. You do hear 'korobokuru' as you pass by with Tomoyo, but not much else. Gobo has now gone into his house and has motioned the other men to follow him. He is a strange fellow for a headman, rather too parsinomous with his own hospitality and wealth (very unlike a headman amongst your folk) but the villagers respect him and seem to be prosperous under his leadership. Shinko
Gobo looks stunned at ooChai's crudeness, and regards the group with a more considered look of curiosity. Swiftly disguising his shock, he smoothly carries on talking, "Why should such as yourselves concern yourselves with such fellows, sir? They are travellers like yourselves, I would suppose, but not of such import. Please, follow me and shall show you your lodgings. If you still wish it, I shall call for the korobokuru in but a little while." He motions for you to follow after him into the house.
Gobo turns to look at the approaching menagerie of adults, children, dog and dwarf, and then quickly turns back with a dismissive wave in their direction, "Oh, just some itinerate clergymen, noble sir, nothing to concern yourself over. And the dwarf will be lodged away from your group, so do not worry yourself if my lord finds his presence objectionable." he says with an eagerness to please.
Mamoru gets the impression that Gobo is genuine in his desire to house the group in comfort, and is trustworthy. "Noble sirs," says Gobo, "I insist that you use my house as your own. As for the shugo-daiymo," he says to Mamoru, "I am sure that far away as he is in the capital, he can have no inkling of our labours here; he must be a very busy man! But the jito is more than pleased." Any hopes you may have of being subtle are rather undermined by villagers looking at your richly accroutemented band with interest. A gaggle of children accompanied by an energetic dog, two priests or monks (one of average height, the other short), and an even shorter korobokuru have arrived in the square. @Jiro, Shinko
As you enter the main square, you see wily old Gobo talking to three strangers; one appears to be a young bushi, another is obviously a high-ranking warrior (to judge from his armour and weapons, probably a noble), and the other man seems to be well-dressed. Doubtless, Gobo is fawning all over them in stark contrast to his attitude towards yourselves. He is essentially a good man and respected as a leader but does have a tendancy to be obsequious to authority. When you arrived he gave you a modicum of respect but not much more. @Kani You accompany the human holy men back to the square to see two warriors and an odd human talking to Gobo, the leader of the village. He wasn't very friendly to you when you arrived, but his attitude is very different to these men!
Yorinaga Gobo's face shifts through a variety of expressions, from confusion to suspicion, eventually settling on dawning comprehension. "No, no, your money is un-necessary, my lord. Apologies-" he turns from addressing Yorinaga and says "'My lord'" to ooChai, and then gives a knowing conspiritorial look to Yorinaga, "Whatever your reasons, know that I shall be the soul of discretion. You are all most welcome to stay in my minka," (he indicates the largest house in the village), "I, your humble servant, shall sleep in the stable." Mamoru You have noticed that there are several well-made grain storehouses in the mura, doubtless belonging to the wealthier peasants, such as this Gobo fellow These buildings have tiled roofs (rather than the thatch of the minkas), and stout plaster walls. Evidently this is quite a well-to-do village. Kani Tomoyo says to Kani quietly, "Bad men have been coming to the village, and demanding crops.. it is very frightening. They shout and carry spears." Jiro and Shinko You notice Tomoyo and Kani lagging behind, obviously in conversation. Tomoyo is a rather serious little girl and it may be that she is telling the exuberant dwarf about the troubles that the village is experiencing. You have heard a few mutters here and there as you have been staying with families in the village (paying a few fen each night) about 'the Black Temple' and its "unreasonable demands". You haven't pressed the issue with them, but there is undoubtedly a story to tell.
Yorinaga: Spoiler:
No, there is no such custom in Kozakura - the time period I'm modelling it on didn't have this delightful social convention, or "practice murder" as I saw it called somewhere. You might get an angry jito's men asking you some questions, if you did
Kani, Jiro, and Shinko (accompanied by the indefatigable Tenko) start to slowly herd the children of the mura back to the central square. As with any group of children, this is a complicated affair of those lagging behind, those racing ahead and those clutching onto the clothes of the adults. Tomoyo walks along beside Kani, she turns her serious young eyes to him and says softly, "The younger children don't really understand but I think I know how you must feel."
Aiko laughs nervously and smiles a little at Kani's funny face. Upon hearing his tale, the little girl's eyes, that were like saucers, are now like dinner plates, "That's so sad; I hope you can go home soon." she says. Yoringa, ooChai, Mamoru You enter the central 'square' of the village. Mamoru notes that it is a typical peasant mura, the streets are wide and really just dirt tracks. It's barely even a village, more a collection of houses. He notes that all areas would be equally accessible, as would the tops of the 1 storey houses if one decided to climb onto them (as ninja are wont to do). There are one or two people around who look at you with unconcealed google-eyed interest, and perhaps a little fear. A man of medium height, and slim build with a short beard rapidly approaches your band. He bows low and rapidly, first to Yorinaga,and then to ooChai; he gives a peremptory nod to Mamoru behind them. "Good day to you honoured sirs! Have you eaten rice today?" he offers by way of traditional greeting, "I am Gobo, myusho of this humble mura" "I hope that I can be of service to such noble gentlemen as you?" he adds, mostly addressing Yorinaga, and barely acknowledging Mamoru.
The closest equivalent would be the Spirit Tongue or the language of the Court of the Sea King (spoken by most aquatic creatures). The planes are arranged slightly differently in OA than normal; the Astral plane is replaced by the Spirit World, which is like the Material Plane but bigger, brighter, more wild with very little evidence of human buildings. There are no outer planes as such. All gods/spirits/kami live in the spirit world or demiplanes attached to it or the in some rare cases the material plane, and can enter the material world. The Ethereal Plane exists (also known as the relam of ghosts) and exists between the material world and the spirit world; ghosts can manifest into either - but are effectively trapped between them. There are no inner planes. All elementals come from the spirit world.
Rags - you might well meet someone from Shou Lung or Tu Lung at some point. Feel free to choose whatever you like, you can learn more languages later of course. Love the background - just tto mention that your master wouldn't have been the daimyo, he would be what's called a jito ( a head of an estate) - the Daimyo is the ruler of the whole province - Yorinaga's dad was an estate manager, which is good but not as mega as daimyo. Dragonmann - you need to pick your languages too.
Aiko's eyes grow huge as Jiro herds her over to where the little man is sitting, hidden by a tree. She didn't know he was just there! Maybe he is some sort of wood-spirit! "Ummmm..... h..h..hello..." she says to Kani tentatively.
One of the girls playing with Tenko comes over to Jiro, and tugs on his sleeve, it is little Aiko (all of 6 years old), "Jiro, have you seen the little bushi I told you about yet? He's kind of scary, is he really a man, or is he a goblin?" she asks rapidly. She's referring to the korobokuru warrior who arrived in the mura yesterday, "He's even shorter than you! But he's taller than me." She adds for clarification.
All character intros are now up. I forgot to add Bakemono (which is the OA version of goblin) to the language list. If you wish your PC to have it, you can swap one of your current languages out for it. Money: Please convert your money to the following: 1cp = 1 fen 5cp = 1 yuan both the fen and the yuan are threaded through strings (each coin is pierced through the centre), called cash strings, normally worn in a sleeve, often in groups of 50 or 100 to make counting easier. 1sp = 10 fen or 2 yuan 5sp = 1 tael (a silver coin, again can be threaded) or 1 ch'ao (a paper note - these can also be printed in 1, 10, and 100 denominations) 1gp = 100 fen, or 20 yuan, or 2 tael or 2 ch'ao 5gp = 1 ch'ien (a small silver bar or ingot - rarely used in everyday transactions as they can be awkward to carry) Also barter units (such as cloth, horses, livestock and rice) are common in some areas and cultures. The most important for many people in Kozakura is the koku, a measure of rice of about 5 to 6 bushels (enough for a person to subsist on for a year, theoretically). Samurai are often rewarded by their lords in koku. A koku is worth 5 chi'ien.... which is 25gp ;)
Thom, the OA game has started in the play by post section.
First post in the game thread is up: http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/community/gaming/playByPost/adventures InKaraTur Here It's an intro for Jiro and Shinko. Other characters' intros are to follow.
For Jiro and Shinko: Your wanderings in the quest for enlightment (an unachievable goal? Perhaps, but it is the journey we must be mindful of) have brought you to a small mura (village community) not far from the village of Tosa, and you have spent a spiritually beneficial two days here, helping the folk of the community with their work and leading small ceremonies for them. Although the sky this day is grey, you know this is a blessing for the farmers; kindly old Kura Okami, the god of rain may send some down to aid the crops and fill the wells. It is to be hoped that fierce Susanoo will not send a storm to rend the walls of the godown (grain storehouse) and flood the fields. Jiro sits under a tree, talking to one of the the children of the mura, a little girl called Tomoyo. Shinko watches as some of the other children play with Tenko, the large hound's tongue lolling out in a big grin as the little ones run round him laughing. For Daidoji Yorinaga, ooChai, and Mamoru The sky is as a sheet of lead... a silver grey that promises a storm to add to your misfortunes. Lady Amaterasu will not deign to show her face this day, that much is certain; the Empress of the Sun is nowhere to be seen in the heavens. You form a group that would be remarked upon for its odd nature; the scowling samurai, a cheerful-seeming bushi, and their rather distant looking companion, a man of uncertain profession and means. You enter the mura you saw up ahead as you walked along the road, a collection of huts and larger peasant houses with a dusty central square and sandy dirt tracks for 'streets'. It is the epitome of lower class Kozakura. Folk are here and there going about their business. You hear a dog bark from somewhere in the village along with the laughter of children. For Ran-tan Kani: Humankind are not so different to your own folk in many ways; they work, they play, they laugh, they fight... but they are not the same in others. No korobokuru would subjugate another to work for him in the way that human lords do; and thusly men lose their dignity and pride, a fate which no korobokuru has ever had fear. You arrived in this community last night and if you have not been made welcome, then at least you have not been turned away. There is some courtesy in the realm of men, after all. The children (not so different to children of your own race in their excitement and hopes) have taken an especial interest in you. You hear some of them laughing in the distance, playing with the dog that belongs to the oddly eyed priest. The sky spirits come from the mountains, bringing the tears of your people to you, a distant son.
LOL - I think Three Musketeers is an excellent analogy! I love the '70s film version with Michael York. I look forward to Mamoru being all jumpy and stabby, and then trying to explain at as "just good luck".
The tone I'm aiming for is more Kurosawa than Jackie Chan*, but as long as it's not too over the top or silly it should be fine. Humour is ok in moderation (after all, he wouldn't be much good as a ninja if he were a buffoon! haha). Do you mean Karmic Healing btw? *Although Kurosawa never had guys shooting energy beams from their eyes, so...
Everyone's looking pretty sorted so far... are we nearly all done?
@ Jiro Spoiler: Rags is looking at ninja/favoured soul, so the flavour should be different - plus, the characters alignments are opposed on the law/chaos axis. It sounds fine to me.
Hey Rags, glad you like it! I understand about pressures - now worries. Due to your character's background he will most likely not have a family name, just a personal name. @Yorinagi Spoiler: you have a faithful retainer in the form of Ragadolf's PC
Suggested background/intros (to be fleshed out by me in the intros in the game thread): For Jiro and Shinko: Spoiler:
great characters, guys; really fit in well with the culture and atmos of the setting. I think it would work well to have you as friends from the same temple/monastary who set off on individual journeys and have met up again very recently. For Ran-tan Kani: Spoiler:
At the moment, it's just you, and will probably stay that way, as the only non-human in the group. You have spent a short while in the lands of men hiring out your skill at arms, but their ways are still strange to you. You have recently arrived in a small village. For Daidoji Yorinaga: Spoiler:
You are not much more than a ronin currently after the loss of your family and the estate they managed. Word has reached you that your great-uncle Daidoji Razan wishes to see you. You are on your way to visit him perhaps. You are accompanied by your remaining servant(s) - the wu-jen ooChai, and (possibly) Ragadolf's character. For ooChai: Spoiler:
I have a nasty idea - you are Yorinaga's illegitimate half-brother, unknown to all the world (including yourself) - I'll come up with your birth name at some appropriate moment. You accompany him as his faithful servant (you were the family wu-jen) now that Yorinaga's land and family are lost. Ragadolf Spoiler: if you go with the shinobi route, remember that ninja (historically) were as honourable in their own way as other warriors, they just differed in their methods. I quite like the idea of you being an agent in the employ of Yorinaga's family, who for most of the time was just a humble bushi retainer. Only Yorinaga's father knew of your deadly training. To make up for your past failure (Yorinaga's father and brothers were all killed in a recent conflict) and the loss of the family estate, you have stayed with Yorinaga to guide and protect him (subtly of course) just a thought
ooChai - you've got too many HP - If you're using Int at first level for bonus HP (thanks to MInd over Body), you should have a total of 8, not 10.+1 per meta magic feat, which i took two of Apologies. You're quite right. I forgot that part. Doh. That'll teach me to post when distracted.
@Rags - I found something similar in Complete Adventurer - Ascetic Mage: Sorcerer and Monk levels stack to determine AC bonus (other stuff as well); sacrifice spell slot to add spell level to damage etc
Well, I ain't got it! So... it's kind of difficult for me to adjudicate if I don't have access to it...
You don't need a stealth person necessarily but they can be useful, and yes, I know you love your crazy casters! ;)
@Yorinaga - lamellar is 150gp @Jiro - looks good. Nice job. @Masatoki - no rapiers here, sonny-jim. Longswords and shortswords are available though.
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